Port Coquitlam’s Terry Fox Library could be forced to close Friday due to a labour lockout

Terry Fox Library’s unionized staff could be locked out of their workplace as early as Friday morning after contract negotiations reached a breaking point.

The Fraser Valley Regional Library (FVRL) issued a 72-hour lockout notice to workers represented by CUPE 1698, suspending library employees across the region beginning March 6.

CUPE 1698 represents more than 300 workers across the FVRL network, which operates library branches in more than a dozen municipalities. Staff are scheduled across branches depending on operational needs and are not assigned exclusively to a single location.

The union warned the lockout would disrupt access to services relied upon by children, families and community members who use their local libraries as education, literacy and community hubs.

“This is an unprovoked attack on library workers and the communities we serve,” said Laurie Dyck, president of CUPE 1698, in a press release. “CEO Scott Hargrove and the library’s board of directors have chosen to escalate this dispute instead of sitting down to negotiate a fair agreement.”

Dyck said a lockout would effectively suspend services provided by CUPE members, including circulation and information services, children’s and youth programming, literacy supports and community outreach initiatives.

“They are threatening to suspend library services in an effort to force workers to accept a contract that falls short of regional standards,” she said. “Their decision will hurt workers, families and some of the most vulnerable members of our communities.”

Negotiations between the union and the employer began in June 2025 and have included multiple bargaining sessions, including meetings with the assistance of a mediator.

According to CUPE 1698, the union recently attempted to reach a settlement by offering to accept all aspects of the employer’s proposal except the length of the agreement, proposing a shorter contract term as a compromise.

Dyck said the FVRL rejected that proposal and instead countered with an offer the union says is lower than agreements reached by other workers in the region.

“We have put forward a reasonable solution to settle this dispute,” Dyck said. “Our members want to be at work serving their communities.”

She added that issuing a lockout notice shifts the consequences of the labour dispute onto residents who rely on library services.

“Choosing a lockout shuts down dialogue and shifts the consequences onto families who rely on their local libraries as community hubs,” she said. “That’s a reckless decision and a display of poor leadership. There is still time for FVRL’s leadership to step back from escalation and choose a different path.”

FVRL, however, said the decision to issue a lockout notice came after months of stalled negotiations.

In a statement, the library said bargaining had reached an impasse despite what it described as “numerous meaningful improvements” for staff and wage increases that it said align with inflation, adding up to 9.25 percent over three years.

The library said the parties were approximately $3.1 million apart on the proposed three-year agreement during their most recent bargaining discussions.

“This has been a truly unprecedented round of bargaining,” FVRL said, stating they had invited the union to return to mediation since November but negotiations had not resumed.

FVRL said the union later proposed a two-year agreement that would expire in roughly 10 months, which the library rejected because it would require a new round of bargaining with an incoming board.

Attempts to address the unions concerns about the wage structure by redistributing its proposed increases were proposed, but also rejected, according to FVRL.

FVRL board chair, Mike Hayes, a councillor in Pitt Meadows, and CEO Scott Hargrove said the organization remains open to further negotiations.

“FVRL remains committed to reaching a renewed agreement, and since November 2025 has expressed to the union that it is open to resuming mediation if the union is prepared to work within the monetary framework of our final offer,” they said in the statement.

While physical branches remain closed until further notice, the library said residents can still access digital resources such as downloadable eBooks and audiobooks through the FVRL website. Pre-recorded library programming is also available through the library’s YouTube channel.

Book drops will remain closed during the shutdown, and customers are asked to hold onto borrowed materials until branches reopen. The library said there will be no fines on overdue items because FVRL no longer charges late fees.